2016-17 Blaze King Performance Thread (Everything BK) Part 2

[jetsam]

Our safe phrases to stop a thread are "cats are better than tubes" and "tubes are better than cats".

 

[BKVP]

I think webby makes a good point, which should apply to ALL threads.

If there is a thread related to a particular product, then let those with one Ramble On. (Zep reference).

After all if a consumer is looking to read what owners of a particular product think about it, then all the static from non owners is just a distraction.

This respect should be paid to all stove specific threads.

 

[kennyp2339]

is there a safe word

Yes, the safe word phrase is : "its time to reload" I bet there's someone here that will be saying that phrase first.

 

[kf6hap]

Down the road the EPA hammer might come down on ALL wood/coal stoves. If that comes to pass, secondary air stoves might be in trouble as I believe the technology is nearing the practical limit for cleaning up particulates and other pollutants. BK is currently experimenting with some rather esoteric burning configurations at very, very great cost. I had a conversation with BKVP himself.

Down the road computerization of the combustion process might become compulsory to remain compliant with forthcoming new exceedingly stringent pollution limits. Preheating of multiple different catalytic elements, blower enforced combustion air and induced draft exhaust with scrubbers just might not be too far away. This happened before-in the HVAC industry and industry in general itself. Nothing new here. Legal precedent has been set and settled.

The EPA has done a good job in cleaning up wood stove exhaust pollutants and in the process has made them -all flavors of combustors- dramatically more wood efficient and less "fiddly" to operate. That being said, the law of diminishing returns is close at hand. Further reduction in pollution is only going to be had with more complexity. Complexity's downside is reduced reliability and increased cost.

Here in Ca, many cities forbid wood burning appliances in new construction and have burn ban days.

The days of the unpowered freestanding wood stove just might be numbered so enjoy them while you can. Unless a public outcry prevents it, the EPA will eventually have it's way. For now, burn as smoke free as you can. Please.

 

[huauqui]

Since we have drifted slightly afield I will see if a few pics from last nights refueling help bring us back

The first three pictures are just prior to closing the door on a new load including cat probe and flue temps. The next three are 17 Minutes later, time to turn her down quickly (if I leave it open at this point it will quickly and easily exceed 1,000 degree flue temp.) I loaded at 10 PM with the air control dial set at about 2:45, if you think of it as a clock face, and just reloaded on hot coals at 12 noon today. So 14 hours burning chinese elm simply amazing.

 

[jetsam]

Is it BK picture time again??



I'll see your reload and raise you a scruffy puppy.

 

[huauqui]

That looks like a happy scruffy puppy. Love that your using the warmth to make tea, well played!

 

[webby3650]

Is it BK picture time again??

View attachment 194236


I'll see your reload and raise you a scruffy puppy.

Is that raised hearth extension solid masonry?

 

[jetsam]

Is that raised hearth extension solid masonry?

Negatory, wood framed with marble tile and wood mouldings. I had the stove professionally installed before I started learning about stoves, so everything about it is ass backwards and/or illegal. I've fixed what I can, but fixing that part requires major negotiations with the wife.

I think eventually I'll rip out the whole thing and put a proper stove pad and freestanding King on that wall, but that's many thousands of dollars in the future.

 

[webby3650]

Negatory, wood framed with marble tile and wood mouldings. I had the stove professionally installed before I started learning about stoves, so everything about it is ass backwards and/or illegal. I've fixed what I can, but fixing that part requires major negotiations with the wife.

I think eventually I'll rip out the whole thing and put a proper stove pad and freestanding King on that wall, but that's many thousands of dollars in the future.

All you need to do is elevate the insert 1", otherwise bad things will happen...

 

[lsucet]

cold start on Saturday at 5:53 PM, By 6:41 PM it was already cruising at those temp. high 30s outside, house 50 df inside when got there.
I love it

 

[Marshy]

I use the Keystone listed in my sig.
This is a pic of the AS grate, but you get the idea:
View attachment 194175
...

Pic didn't work.

 

[Woody Stover]

you need to interrupt all these BK fans talking up their stoves in the BK thread by claiming your Woodstock is superior?

if a consumer is looking to read what owners of a particular product think about it, then all the static from non owners is just a distraction.

I know there are no perfect brands or stoves, including mine. When a consumer comes here looking for info, maybe asking for a comparison of two different stoves or whatever, I don't think that only one-sided fanboy replies, many from new users, are doing a service to that consumer, especially if he is new to burning wood for heat. Here lately, I've just told a few of them "read the BK threads." If they do that, thanks to owners like @Highbeam who to his credit will call a spade a spade, they will get a more complete picture of the good and the not-so-good.
Sure, once in a while I'll give the fanboys a taste of their own medicine, and do my fanboy thing. I guess that's not really helpful either.
One reason I keep track of these threads is that they get quite a bit of activity, and some interesting stuff comes up from time to time. So by all means carry on, but if the pronouncements and proclamations become too preposterous, I reserve the right to jump in and call BS.
To show that my heart is in the right place, I won't even take the low-hanging fruit that's teed up in the following post.

will one stove be dropped onto the other from a height, or what? (Gonna be hard to predict a winner either way.)

 

[lsucet]

Ok this for woody. Inside shields, top temp and side temp pointing the laser between outer shield and stove sides.

 

[Woody Stover]

Pic didn't work.

Stove is running but here's a shot into the ash pan housing, ash door open, pan removed.


You can see the ends of a couple of grate slats here.

Hey Woody, How big is the area that you are heating with that stove? What is your average wood usage? How many hrs on a load when cold ( e.g. teens and under )? what is the average stove top or overall temp? I will like to know those details if you don't mind.

Dude, are you trying to get me banned from the BK thread?? Oh well, here goes...
It's not a big stove, not sure if it would work for you. 1.5 cu.ft. box, so if you're not there to load it and need longer burns, look elsewhere. It's rated on their website to heat 800-1300 sq.ft. and I don't think that's a stretch at all. This house is a leaky 1000 sq.ft. with un-insulated walls. I like 70 room temp. If it's in the teens at night, 20s during the day, especially when it's windy, I'm loading at the 8-hr. mark. Lows in the 20s/highs in the 30s, it's 12-hr. loading.
Once cruising, STT will peak at 500-600 depending on the wood species used. It will hold around, cat glowing, for 3-4 hrs. then begin a slow fall it temp. About 8 hrs. in, I can open the air a bit and the coals will keep SST at 300+ for a couple more hrs. These temps are above the cat, so obviously the entire stove isn't that hot. When it's cold, I'll open up the air earlier so I can reload earlier to keep higher SST. If you're not there, obviously the BK thermostat would open the air for you and your SST curve will be flatter than mine would, with no air adjustment. And you've got more wood in there to start with.
Winter climate here is about the same as you for average low temps but your average highs are +10 degrees every day. I don't know exactly how much wood I use per season since I grab off different piles depending on what BTU wood I want to burn. I'd say about 1.5 cords, maybe? No backup heat here, only wood.

 

[lsucet]

Stove is running but here's a shot into the ash pan housing, ash door open, pan removed.
View attachment 194256

You can see the ends of a couple of grate slats here.
View attachment 194262

Dude, are you trying to get me banned from the BK thread?? Oh well, here goes...
It's not a big stove, not sure if it would work for you. 1.5 cu.ft. box, so if you're not there to load it and need longer burns, look elsewhere. It's rated on their website to heat 800-1300 sq.ft. and I don't think that's a stretch at all. This house is a leaky 1000 sq.ft. with un-insulated walls. I like 70 room temp. If it's in the teens at night, 20s during the day, especially when it's windy, I'm loading at the 8-hr. mark. Lows in the 20s/highs in the 30s, it's 12-hr. loading.
Once cruising, STT will peak at 500-600 depending on the wood species used. It will hold around, cat glowing, for 3-4 hrs. then begin a slow fall it temp. About 8 hrs. in, I can open the air a bit and the coals will keep SST at 300+ for a couple more hrs. These temps are above the cat, so obviously the entire stove isn't that hot. When it's cold, I'll open up the air earlier so I can reload earlier to keep higher SST. If you're not there, obviously the BK thermostat would open the air for you and your SST curve will be flatter than mine would, with no air adjustment. And you've got more wood in there to start with.
Winter climate here is about the same as you for average low temps but your average highs are +10 degrees every day. I don't know exactly how much wood I use per season since I grab off different piles depending on what BTU wood I want to burn. I'd say about 1.5 cords, maybe? No backup heat here, only wood.

ok got it i saw some info online also plus it is not available at this time and more expensive than the IS

 

[tarzan]

I know there are no perfect brands or stoves, including mine. When a consumer comes here looking for info, maybe asking for a comparison of two different stoves or whatever, I don't think that only one-sided fanboy replies, many from new users, are doing a service to that consumer, especially if he is new to burning wood for heat. Here lately, I've just told a few of them "read the BK threads." If they do that, thanks to owners like @Highbeam who to his credit will call a spade a spade, they will get a more complete picture of the good and the not-so-good.
Sure, once in a while I'll give the fanboys a taste of their own medicine, and do my fanboy thing. I guess that's not really helpful either.
One reason I keep track of these threads is that they get quite a bit of activity, and some interesting stuff comes up from time to time. So by all means carry on, but if the pronouncements and proclamations become too preposterous, I reserve the right to jump in and call BS.
To show that my heart is in the right place, I won't even take the low-hanging fruit that's teed up in the following post.

Thinking of the problems Highbeam has mentioned, I simply don't have them too gripe about!

The cat thermometer clearance issue doesn't effect me because I don't have the convection deck.

The gunked up cap, again, I havn't had that issue.

If I remember right, he may have complained of too much smoke on start up before he switched cats. I also switched cats but where I live it's a none issue to anyone but myself.

I really like my stove and I am personally far from a newbie but I give up on recommending it to anyone on this site. Not even worth the hassle anymore. There's a few of you on here waiting like vultures to pick apart any pro BK post that shows up in a thread.

 

[Woody Stover]

Ok this for woody. Inside shields, top temp and side temp pointing the laser between outer shield and stove sides.

Good pics, thanks. Pics like this, of stove internals, are interesting, and something we don't see enough of on hearth.com IMO.
I don't get creo buildup on the stones, just on the cast parts. On the Buck, I would get similar to what you are showing. Once in a while I would think, "I should scrape that off to get better radiation transfer to the blower chamber," but seldom followed through....maybe a couple times a season.
It appears that where you are shooting the sides, with outer shields on, is pretty close to the area at the front of the box which is un-shielded inside. I'm also wondering what the variation in readings would be, shooting the entire side at different spots with the external shields off. I think almost everyone has the side shields on, though...I would, too.

ok got it i saw some info online also plus it is not available at this time and more expensive than the IS

Not available...which stove is that? Yeah, I think the stone stoves are gonna be high due to labor and material costs (stone and cast iron.) The lower prices of their welded plate-steel stoves would seem to support that theory, but I'm not sure

Thinking of the problems....I simply don't have them too gripe about!

Well, that's a problem for a newbie as well; They might read one bad post about a stove and not realize that the "problem" a user has could be due to wet wood, poor chimney or user error. And it it's a real problem, it might be quite rare and only affect a few stoves.

I really like my stove and I am personally far from a newbie but I give up on recommending it to anyone on this site.....There's a few of you on here waiting like vultures to pick apart any pro BK post that shows up in a thread.

So I'm that bad, huh? Oh, my...

.

 

[bholler]

I really like my stove and I am personally far from a newbie but I give up on recommending it to anyone on this site. Not even worth the hassle anymore. There's a few of you on here waiting like vultures to pick apart any pro BK post that shows up in a thread.

Most of us do not have a problem with just pro bk posts at all. They are great stoves and for many the long low burns are just what they need. And for those people I would absolutely recommend a bk. But that is not what everyone needs or wants and I see no reason to pay for a bk that excels at one thing when you need another. Yes bks can be turned up and will put out more heat but if that is what you need you could save yourself allot of money and buy something cheaper. What bothers some of us are the Fanboy types that act like blaze kings are perfect for everyone and all other stoves are a waste of money. Again I am not on this thread to bash bk stoves or owners I just was reading the comments and thought I would clear things up from my perspective.

 

[webby3650]

Thinking of the problems Highbeam has mentioned, I simply don't have them too gripe about!

The cat thermometer clearance issue doesn't effect me because I don't have the convection deck.

The gunked up cap, again, I havn't had that issue.

If I remember right, he may have complained of too much smoke on start up before he switched cats. I also switched cats but where I live it's a none issue to anyone but myself.

I really like my stove and I am personally far from a newbie but I give up on recommending it to anyone on this site. Not even worth the hassle anymore. There's a few of you on here waiting like vultures to pick apart any pro BK post that shows up in a thread.

I agree. There's only a handfull of people that are regulars on here, The content on the forum isn't really for us regulars, of course we are all learning though. It's primarily for ones that are looking for a new stove or help with issues that they might be having with their current stove. Why someone would feel offended to the point of being disrespectful is beyond me. Ones that are disrespectful or even hateful in their responses do nothing to help these visitors make an educated decision, but rather, turns them away.
There are a few that preach BK as THE stove, a BK is not for everyone, it's not always the answer. However, it does fit the bill for most folks. How it ever got started that it doesn't have big output is beyond me! It's simply NOT true. The truth is, some people have nearly un-heatable homes that demand more heat than a modern stove can provide. A BK may not be for that person, nor any stove for that matter. Most people run their stoves on a low to medium setting most the time, and also can't have a fire once the outside temps raise much above freezing because their house will over heat. This is where it is not a problem with a BK, you can burn right through the shoulder seasons and keep a comfortable temperature in the home. It's a great all around stove that will make big heat or little heat, the operator is truly in control and I love that.

There will always be a Blaze King on my Hearth. Well, one of my hearths anyway!

 

[Blazing]

Negatory, wood framed with marble tile and wood mouldings. I had the stove professionally installed before I started learning about stoves, so everything about it is ass backwards and/or illegal. I've fixed what I can, but fixing that part requires major negotiations with the wife.

I think eventually I'll rip out the whole thing and put a proper stove pad and freestanding King on that wall, but that's many thousands of dollars in the future.

Lmao! You're in trouble now

 

[kf6hap]

There will always be a Blaze King on my Hearth. Well, one of my hearths anyway!

There will always be a Blaze King and at least one German Shepard on my hearth as well.

 

[Highbeam]

Thinking of the problems Highbeam has mentioned, I simply don't have them too gripe about!

The cat thermometer clearance issue doesn't effect me because I don't have the convection deck.

The gunked up cap, again, I havn't had that issue.

If I remember right, he may have complained of too much smoke on start up before he switched cats. I also switched cats but where I live it's a none issue to anyone but myself.

I really like my stove and I am personally far from a newbie but I give up on recommending it to anyone on this site. Not even worth the hassle anymore. There's a few of you on here waiting like vultures to pick apart any pro BK post that shows up in a thread.

So as we all should know by now, every installation is different. From the fuel I burn to the length of my chimney, my bk burning experience might be different than yours. The value of each of us sharing our experiences is that all possible problems and solutions are out there to help the masses of readers that come here for help.

I get tar accumulation in my cap. You don't. Many possible causes for that difference but it's real for me and many others.

 

[Niko]

Maybe its just the Spartan in me.

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[tarzan]

So as we all should know by now, every installation is different. From the fuel I burn to the length of my chimney, my bk burning experience might be different than yours. The value of each of us sharing our experiences is that all possible problems and solutions are out there to help the masses of readers that come here for help.

I get tar accumulation in my cap. You don't. Many possible causes for that difference but it's real for me and many others.

No doubt your problems are real. I don't have a problem with you sharing them either and think you absolutely should. I just have a problem with a guy that insinuates your being more honest than others because you have them.

The history of my stove is basicly in these BK threads for all too see. This guy should not assume that those of us with fewer complaints are simply withholding evidence.